Claws coming out for Tigers, Bearcats
Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight was candid when expressing the amount of respect he has for what Northwest Missouri State has accomplished during its nearly three-decade run as one of the premier programs in NCAA college football.
Just don’t expect him or his Tigers to be in awe of the Bearcats when they lock horns today at Cliff Harris Stadium in Arkadelphia in the first round of the Division II playoffs.
“First, you’ve got to start with their history,” Knight said. “Mel Tjeerdsman, who was a coach and athletic director, then the coach that was there [Adam Dorrel] that took that team to all
those national championship and even the head coach now [Rich Wright] was a part of all of that because he was the defensive coordinator. So it starts with great history when you talk about Northwest Missouri State.
“They know what to do in postseason play because they’re experienced veterans, and they always do a great job coaching. And then you take their players, they’re experienced as well. They pretty much go to the playoffs every year, and they know what it takes.”
The Bearcats (9-2) are making their 18th consecutive appearance in the playoffs and 26th overall, have a 52-19 alltime record in the postseason and have won six national championships — all of which are NCAA Division II records.
Wright is 51-12 since he was named the team’s coach after Dorrel left for Abilene Christian just weeks after leading Northwest Missouri State to it’s most recent title in 2016. The New York native has guided the team to a 5-4 mark in the playoffs, including a 3-1 record in opening-round games. Whereas the Bearcats has been virtual playoff shoeins since 2004, their streak of playing beyond the regular season was in serious jeopardy a week ago.
The top seven teams from each of the four NCAA Division II regions advance to the playoffs, and Northwest Missouri State was ranked No. 10 in Super Region 3 going into its finale at No. 9 Emporia State. The Bearcats eventually held on to beat the Hornets 27-21 and subsequently moved into the top seven. That also meant Northwest Missouri was able to jump No. 8 Harding despite the Bisons beating Arkansas Tech 55-10 on the same day. The Bearcats also got a boost when Indianapolis beat then-No. 6 Truman State (Mo.) 28-14.
Knight, who was recently named the Great American Conference’s Coach of the Year for the sixth time in the league’s 11-year existence, has got a lot of admiration for what his team has accomplished, too, and he fully understands that it takes more than just history to win games.
“We’ve been doing quite a bit as well,” Knight said of his Tigers. “It’s not like we don’t have an idea of anything. We know what we’re doing, we’ve practiced hard and we’re prepared to play. And that’s what you do.
“We realize their tradition and how good their team is and all that. We also know that we’ve got to play our best football and can’t make a lot of mistakes to have a chance against those guys.”
OBU (11-0) had to overcome its share of hiccups over the past month to get to where it is right now. The Tigers had to erase deficits in their last four games, including a 14-point hole with less than five minutes to go last week against Henderson State. OBU stormed back to beat the Reddies 40-37 in the Battle of the Ravine and lock up a home playoff game.
“Henderson had a great game plan and did a good job against us,” Knight explained. “They were prepared, and we were, too. We just dug a little bit of a hole, and we were fortunate to get out of it. And I think we got out of it because our kids believed, and they’re confident.
“They cleaned up some things as we went and made the plays that we had to make at the end. We had three two-minute drives, and we scored every time. … We believed in them on fourth down, believed in our defense at the end of the game to kick the ball off in regulation instead of an onsides kick. The things that happened at the end is because of the trust we have in each other and what we’ve been through this year.”
The Tigers’ resolve is sure to be tested against a Bearcat team that has reigning Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Defensive Player of the Year Elijah Green and running back Jamar Moya who’s been their offensive catalyst all year.
Green, a 5-11, 263-pound senior, has recorded 50 tackles, with 21 of those coming behind the line of scrimmage. He also has 11 sacks, which is the 11th most in the country. Moya, who’s scored 7 total touchdowns, has carried 115 times for 556 yards and caught 51 passes for 407 yards. The rushing yardage and reception totals are all team-highs for the 5-9, 185-pound senior.
OBU has continued to get ample production from the third-leading rusher in Division II in T.J. Cole, who’s run for 1,653 yards and 26 touchdowns, and a steady defense that had six players earn AllGAC honors.
Nevertheless, Knight knows nothing will be given to his Tigers today, not with a perennial powerhouse standing along the opposing sidelines.
“It’s one game at a time, and that’s all you can think about at this point,” he said. “It’s kind of like the NFL now. You put everything into the game you’re playing, everything into practice and try to play your best ball.”